The Budget Committee Meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
Roll call –Doug Southard, Beth Downs, Jen Richardson, Justin Dohrn, Marlene Freyler (Select Board rep) and Karen Hambleton (Town Administrator) in attendance. Laurie Colburn, Chair, was in attendance via Zoom.
Receipt of Correspondence:
August 19th minutes:
Under Review of Budget and Expenditures, Doug would like to have it read: “Doug said there may be an employee” instead of “Doug said there is an employee”.
Under Tim McKenna’s report, Laurie added that there had been discussion between Tim and Brackett Scheffy regarding the Town Meeting.
Karen explained that Beth’s update stating the Select Board had put in for a $1.3 million dollar grant was actually a Congressional Discretionary Spending Request.
Motion: Jen motioned to accept the minutes from August 19, 2021 (with the mentioned changes)
and June 17, 2021.
Second: Beth seconded the motion.
Vote: 6-0 in favor
Beth indicated a large part of the session focused on the ARPA funds and the need to carefully document the funding and what it is using it for. She also asked about permission for spending money to make copies. Karen told Beth to send the link and she will print out copies at the Town Office. Jen said they changed the requirements for warrant approval at Town Meeting. She said it is now 3/5 rather than 2/3 majority for warrants to be approved. There was some discussion about COVID money that was distributed to the Town.
Department Partnership Updates:
- Doug tried to reach out to the website that gave information about taxation and tax rates for various towns and ask what we should be benchmarking on. He said he is still trying to find the correct contact information.
- Jen met up with Steve and asked where we are with the budget. Steve said his budget is looking good.
Review of Budget and Expenditures:
- Review expenses through August 2021 close
Jen asked about the health insurance amount in line 4130 Executive and how many people it covers. Karen said it overs two people for health insurance. Jen thinks the cost is very high. She will let Karen know who she uses for health insurance.
There was discussion about the bridge account. Laurie said she heard a rumor that the Bement Bridge came in under budget. Karen said she has not received the final bill.
Doug asked if we should go through expenses line item by line item as we have in the past or just bring up some of the larger line items. Justin said he thinks members should be looking at the line items before they come to the meeting and bring things up that pertain to their departments.
Doug said he wonders about when departments don’t spend as much as is budgeted and added that he can’t account for why the Fire Department is still only at 49%. Justin said some things have not been done yet but will be coming up before year end.
Select Board Update:
- Timing on Department Budget Submissions – The budget worksheets will go to Department Heads by the end of September; the Budget Committee and Select Board will get the master budget worksheet by the end of October.
Justin explained that the CIP is a subcommittee of the Planning Board and gives their suggestions for the next 20 years. Laurie would like a CIP preview for the October Budget Committee meeting. Karen explained the purpose of the Budget Committee and the CIP and what each looks at.
- Update on key budget objectives for 2021 – Karen reported that Bement Bridge should be taken off. She said they were not awarded the Congressional Discretionary Funding for either the Town Hall or the Main Street improvement projects. Karen said there were no small towns given the congressional discretionary monies, and she is frustrated that as a small community, it is difficult to compete against larger towns/cities for the funding. Beth asked if we should ask for less money, and Karen does not think that would have made a difference. Marlene said she has talked to the Fire Department about the fire truck. She said they have the specs and know what they want, and the money is there.
- Fire Chief – Karen said the Select Board has appointed an interim Chief and at this time, there has not been discussion about hiring another part-time Chief. Laurie asked if there is any long-term plan such as mutual aid with some of our services and Karen said not at this time. Laurie asked about a solar farm coming in. Karen said it has been brought up by the Energy Committee and is still in the research/planning stages. Laurie asked if there are any retirement announcements that might affect the budget and Karen was not aware of any.
- Parking Attendant at French’s Park – Karen reported that she heard from a neighbor that it worked out well. The expense was approximately $2,000 for the attendant.
Future Business:
- Next Budget Committee Meeting – October 21 at 6:30 p.m.
- Important Dates:
- Target budget submission date is October 30, 2021
- CIP Target complete by November 1, 2021
- February 11, 2022 – last date to hold 1st Public Hearing (must be noticed by Feb 4, 2022)
- February 22, 2022 – last date to provide Select Board with Annual Budget
Motion: Beth motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:24 p.m.
Second: Doug seconded the motion.
Vote: 6-0 in favor
Minutes submitted by Donna Long, Recording Secretary.